Responsible techno-innovation in aquaculture: Employing ethical engagement to explore attitudes to GM salmon in Northern Europe

The rapid growth of the aquaculture sector over the past forty years can be closely linked to advances in science and technology. Some innovations in biotechnology have proven more controversial than others, and none more so than proposals for transgenic fish. Such innovations introduce concerns for the responsible governance of research and innovation for aquaculture, particularly in recognition of the significant uncertainties and high stakes characterising these technologies. This paper argues in favour of a participatory approach to the governance of contentious aquaculture technologies that includes an ‘upstream’ regard for their ethical and social implications. From this point of departure, the paper presents empirical research that employed one particular approach to engage aquaculture stakeholders from Northern Europe in deliberation over the ethical and social considerations of transgenic growth-enhanced salmon, using the ‘ethical matrix’ tool. This research explores the complexity of considerations raised by these small groups of diverse and knowledgeable stakeholders across workshops in Germany, Norway and the United Kingdom, and links them with wider ethical discussions in the bioethics literature. The dual ambitions of the paper are to first provide insights into an applied approach for incorporating ethical reasoning in processes for responsible aquaculture techno-innovation, and second to provide an appreciation for the plurality of considerations that decision-makers need to navigate and carefully weigh when reaching a decision on the appropriateness of the particular transgenic growth-enhanced salmon. •Important to involve stakeholders in the responsible governance of technologies•The ‘ethical matrix’ can incorporate ethical reasoning into technology assessment.•There are a plurality of ethical and social issues related to GM salmon.•Stakeholders promote participatory governance of aquaculture technologies.